His Holiness Pope Francis sends
personal message to athletes after welcoming LEN Representatives to the
Vatican
Representatives of the LEN Bureau,
led by President Antonio Silva, visited the Vatican on Monday to meet His
Holiness Pope Francis, where they discussed preparations for the upcoming
European Championships in Rome and were given a personal message to share with
the athletes.
The LEN Bureau were honoured to be
received in the magnificent Apostolic Place in the Vatican City and to affirm
the strong bond uniting sport and wider society, as well as the role of sport
as a way to foster peaceful relations and solidarity between people of all
races and creeds.
His Holiness Pope Francis said:
“You have come in preparation for the
European Aquatics Championships, which will be held in Rome next month. I am
happy that our city once more hosts this impressive sporting event. These days
we need sports more than ever – real sports! – as a counterbalance to the
conflict and hostility weighing down on our world and, sadly, also our
continent of Europe.”
LEN President Antonio Silva speaks
with His Holiness Pope Francis.
Continuing, His Holiness made a
statement directly to LEN’s athletes, which we are glad to reproduce in full:
“Dear Athletes,
I send you my greetings from Rome,
where, a month from now, you will take part in the European Aquatics
Championships. This pleases me greatly, because every great sporting event is a
special moment when young people from different countries can encounter and
interact with one another, and that is a wonderful sign of hope for the future
of our human family. It is also appropriate because Rome is historically a
universal city, open to the world, the city from which the Church spreads
everywhere the Gospel of fraternity.
I am sure that you, like myself, are
saddened because the war in Ukraine casts in shadow on this celebration. At the
same time, I would hope that this will make us all the more committed to showing
our desire for a world of peace, a world without wars, without hatred between
peoples, without nuclear threats.
Dear Athletes, I pray that the
European Championships here in Rome will be, for all of you, a serene and
joyful experience of friendship and fraternity, and that each of you owill be
able to offer, in healthy competition, the very best of yourselves. With
affection, I bless all of you and your loved ones. And I would ask you, please,
to say a prayer for me.
Thank you!”
President Silva said:
“It was an honour and a privilege to
meet His Holiness Pope Francis and to realise how much he loves and understands
sport. Sport breaks down all walls and promotes the message of peace and mutual
respect. LEN, which represents the European Aquatics movement will do its
utmost to deliver these messages in a universal language.”
“I was glad to be able to share with
His Holiness the projects that LEN and our National Federations have set in
motion to support Ukrainian athletes at this very difficult time,” said President
Silva. “We wanted to make clear that LEN wants to celebrate the very best of
human values while sending a strong message on solidarity. We want nations to
live in peace, to bring down barriers and erase intolerance from our daily
life.”
His Holiness was pleased to hear
about the excellent progress of preparations for the European Championships,
which will gather 1,500 athletes from 50 countries to the historic Stadio
Olimpico del Nuoto aquatic centre of the Foro Italico, just 5 kilometres from Vatican
City.
“As LEN representatives, we are
delighted that Europe’s finest aquatic athletes are returning to Rome next
month,” said President Silva. “The culture of water in Rome dates back to
ancient times and we now celebrate a new opportunity to celebrate sporting
excellence.”
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